(Also on facebook) Rant about postal practices of retailers!

[AlanT]

Let me have a quick rant here.....
I need to buy two Gottlieb flipper bats - the P&P is about 3x the price of the parts. $20 parts becomes $80 purchase AND I expect I will still get stuck with import charges at the UK end!
(see image)

Why on earth do retailers insist on using gold-plated shipping services rather than just slow plain old postal services via their post office?

I could send (via surface mail) the same stuff to Canada (which is where this retailer "Absolute Pinball" is based) for a little over $9 CAD - with insurance if the item were lost. So presumably some equivalent service is available to this retailer? Yes, DHL or their ilk would get it here a couple of days quicker, but I am fixing a pinball machine, not a mission critical nuclear submarine!

I suspect that a lot of this is that retailers are essentially favouring their own convenience (having parcels collected rather than having to post them and do paperwork) over the enormous extra cost to customers - well, this is one customer that ain't going to help them do that!


P.S> Does anyone have some Gottlieb 2" 1960s flipper bats they can sell me - with reasonable P&P :-D

 

[Spandangler]

Have you tried best of pinball Germany or pinball center. I got some 80’s Gottlieb parts there earlier this year

 

[AlanT]

Have you tried best of pinball Germany or pinball center. I got some 80’s Gottlieb parts there earlier this year

will do - thanks.

 

[Homepin]

I'm unaware of the exact details here but I will comment about the "gold-plated shipping service" and why some sellers (most these days) insist on using them.

I'll bet it has a lot to do with PayPus? PayPus demands that the sender provides a "gold-plated", fully tracked, 100% guaranteed, delivery service or the seller basically will lose any and all disputes.

It might also come down to the absolute crap 'service' - for want of a better word - provided by regular delivery services in many countries.

I now only ship via EMS or DHL - not because of PayPus but because it's the only way I can be 99% sure the goods will actually arrive and if they don't, I have a reasonable chance of recourse.

 

[AlanT]

Have you tried best of pinball Germany or pinball center. I got some 80’s Gottlieb parts there earlier this year

I admit these are fairly low demand items now - Pinball Heaven didnt have them here in the UK, else I would have got them from there, but anyway Pinball center had them at more or less same price as the Candian site but with only 10 Euro shipping and PayPal payments - so, a lot better! Many thanks.

 

[AlanT]

I'm unaware of the exact details here but I will comment about the "gold-plated shipping service" and why some sellers (most these days) insist on using them.

I'll bet it has a lot to do with PayPus? PayPus demands that the sender provides a "gold-plated", fully tracked, 100% guaranteed, delivery service or the seller basically will lose any and all disputes.

It might also come down to the absolute crap 'service' - for want of a better word - provided by regular delivery services in many countries.

I now only ship via EMS or DHL - not because of PayPus but because it's the only way I can be 99% sure the goods will actually arrive and if they don't, I have a reasonable chance of recourse.

Well, I sell a lot of stuff on eBay (not pinball related though) and only accept paypal payments - though admittedly only within the UK. I always use Royal Mail and seldom have any issue and the few times that I have had a problem, Paypal have been very helpful. Maybe our postal service is a lot better than in some other countries, so more trusted?

 

[robotgreg]

Well, I sell a lot of stuff on eBay (not pinball related though) and only accept paypal payments - though admittedly only within the UK. I always use Royal Mail and seldom have any issue and the few times that I have had a problem, Paypal have been very helpful. Maybe our postal service is a lot better than in some other countries, so more trusted?

I've sold various stuff on ebay over last 7 years or so. Royal Mail have lost a lot more parcels than Hermes whom I've otherwise used, so would tend to go for latter unless it's a large letter. RM have just lost one I've sent recently and lost maybe 3 out of 10 in the early years.